'He's a rock star': One of the DNC chair runners up emerges as a national figure

Pete
Buttigieg speaks during a Democratic National Committee forum in
Baltimore.REUTERS/Joshua
Roberts

ATLANTA — John Verdejo had never heard of
Pete Buttigieg before the Democratic National
Committee chair's race. By Saturday's vote, he had only one
impression of the South Bend, Indiana, mayor.

"Mind. Blown. Mind. Blown. You ask any of the DNC members
here, and he was their second choice. I don't care if you voted
for Perez first, Ellison first — Buttigieg was their No. 2," the
North Carolina DNC member said here at the committee's
winter meeting in Atlanta.

Buttigieg ultimately failed to secure the DNC chairmanship:
Lacking the votes to secure the role, the 36-year-old mayor
dropped out of the race Saturday before anyone got the chance to
vote for him, and former labor secretary Tom Perez secured the role in a tight race with Rep. Keith
Ellison.

Yet Democrats here were quick to heap praise on the
mayor, pointing to a stacked and diverse background and
resume: He is a gay, Harvard-educated Rhodes Scholar, a Navy
veteran, and an accomplished pianist.

But particularly, many Democrats noted his ability to
transcend the rift between the establishment and the ascendant
progressive wing of the party.

"He very much is the future of the party," Los Angeles
Mayor Eric Garcetti told Business Insider in an interview on
Friday, before the vote. "I expect Tom Perez or Keith
Ellison to elevate him."

Many progressive figures in the party were equally
impressed by the South Bend mayor.

"I thought he ran an impressive campaign," Jeff Weaver,
Sen. Bernie Sanders' former campaign manager, said on Saturday.
"He coalesced a lot of support coming from a red state, and I
think people were very impressed with his ability convey a
powerful message. I think there is certainly a future for him in
the party if he wants to have a national profile."

Buttigieg also got the nod from former President Barack
Obama's top staffers, including David
Axelrod and Dan
Pfeiffer, who said they'd be watching the mayor's next
moves.

Perhaps lacking the credibility of a serious challenger,
Buttigieg's bid raised his national profile without damaging
him in a way that negative press stories bruised Perez
and Ellison.

In the final week of the campaign, some media outlets were
enamored with the mayor. He attracted local press attention in
states like California. The left-leaning outlet Salon said
Buttigieg was “shaking up the race” for DNC chair by airing out
the toxicity of the fight between Perez and Ellison. And he
garnered positive coverage for his debate performance on CNN.

Still, part of Buttigieg's appeal to many Democrats
may also prove to be a liability.

His red-state pedigree is untested outside of a fairly
small arena. He's won two elections in a
left-leaning college town, and he would face an
uphill battle running for higher office in his home state.

Republicans maintained their hold over the Hoosier state
last year: US Senate favorite Evan Bayh bungled his attempt
to retake his seat, while Republicans also maintained their
control over the governorship. Buttigieg's only
experience running for state office was a bid for state treasurer
in Indiana in 2010 — he
was pummeled by opponent Richard Mourdock by more than
10 percentage points.

But many supporters feel the DNC race marked
the birth of Buttigieg's national career.

"He's using today as a jump-off point to something else,"
said Verdejo, the North Carolina DNC
member.

When asked what that could
be, Verdejo replied: "Senator. Or even
president, why not? Swing big. He looks good onstage, speaks
well. He's a rockstar. He represents all that this party is
about."

At least one person close to the mayor agrees with
that.

"I've always joked with him like he should run for
president," Buttigieg's partner, Chasten Glezman, said in an
interview Friday. "Because I think that he's genuine, he's
authentic, and he's exactly what this country needs."